Saturday, October 23                                                  

Saturday morning I slept in a little bit and decided to try to get a 15 mile run in around 9:30.  It was a chilly morning and I was optimistic about having a good run however I knew I would be on the road alone, which is hard for me.  Paul was still suffering with his knee from the Mockler Beverage 3 miler.  It had been a rough 5 or 6 days for me because my mom had major surgery and she was still in the hospital.

The run started out fine but my calves were hurting from the moment my feet hit the pavement.  I was having a hard time focusing and my heart just wasn’t in this run.  I came across Paul, Mr. Jimmy and Troy around the 3.5 mile mark and they cheered me on and passed me a bottle of water.  Normally the sight of these 3 men cheers me up and lightens my spirit.  That would not be the case on this run and somewhere around the 4 mile mark, my emotions took over and I started to cry.  I was worried about my mom, I was tired and I hate to be on the road without Paul.  So, I did a bad thing, the worst thing a runner can do really, I gave in and gave up. Our driveway was my 5 mile mark and I stopped.  I just sat there on my ice chest at the end of the driveway and collected my thoughts.  I didn’t finish that run and I didn’t give it another thought the rest of the day!

Tuesday, October 26

Monday, Paul went to his knee surgeon to have the bad knee checked out.  It was not good news and he decided to get a 2^nd opinion on Tuesday.  The 2^nd visit confirmed the bad news.  He should not be running these long distances on a regular basis.  He’s pretty bummed, he really enjoys running.  I’m bummed because while I know he’ll be able to complete the 26.2 miles on marathon day, he won’t be able to train with me for the next 5 or so weeks.  He’s my best friend, my training partner and my coach (that I never really listen to).  I often struggle with feeling lonely on the road and I need him out there. The whole way home, I had a feeling of dread, I would have to run without him.  But the run wasn’t so bad after all; he hopped on his bike and rode along the side of me while I ran 4 miles.  It was a really nice run and a really nice thing that he did for me!

Saturday, October 30, I’ll be running the Jazz Half Marathon with Blake and a few fellow Running on Faith teammates.  I’m actually looking forward to the run and spending time with my friends.

 

This is Flash and I’m right now I’m just running on faith!